Compression shorts

ABSTRACT

Compression shorts are provided with a sleeve having an opening at a proximal end of the sleeve that communicates with an opening in the crotch area of the shorts. The sleeve is attached to the crotch area of compression shorts by an elastic engagement of the shorts with the sleeve at a proximal end of the sleeve. A flap is joined to the sleeve. The girth of the sleeve and is expanded or contracted by locating and attaching an end of the flap against the sleeve. A distal end of the sleeve comprises a closure flap to permit covering or uncovering a distal opening in the sleeve, and to adjust the useful length of the sleeve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Compression shorts are shorts formed of an elastic compression material. Compression shorts apply pressure to areas of the body which the shorts cover. Compression shorts support areas of the body that they cover, and may aid muscle recovery after exercise and aid recovery from sports related injuries.

People who engage in athletic endeavors or fitness exercises may wear compression shorts both to prevent injury and to aid in recovery from athletic injury or from exercise. Specifically, compression shorts may reduce inflammation, muscle pain or damage. Compression shorts may improve athletic performance.

A shortcoming of compression shorts known in the art is that the shorts may provide genital area discomfort to males. There is a need for compression shorts that are worn similarly to underwear, but which do not apply pressure from the compression material to the penis.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention is directed to shorts formed of an elastic compression material having a sleeve for receiving the penis that does not apply compression to that area. The sleeve may be formed of a textile material, and have an opening at the distal end of the sleeve. The proximal end of the sleeve is fixed to the shorts by an elastic engagement or connection of the shorts with the sleeve.

Adjustment of the girth of the sleeve accommodates different sizes is provided along the length of the sleeve. The sleeve is open at both ends for inserting the penis into the sleeve at the proximal end of the sleeve, while providing an opening at the opposite, distal end of the sleeve.

A flap is provided at the distal end of the sleeve for covering the distal end. The flap may be selectively attached to the sleeve to cover the opening at the distal end or to provide a complete opening at the distal end as needed.

BRIEF DRAWING DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the sleeve for compression shorts.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of compression shorts having a sleeve according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an embodiment of compression shorts showing another view of the sleeve attached to the shorts according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the sleeve for compression shorts showing adjustment flaps forming a girth of the sleeve.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the sleeve for compression shorts showing adjustment flaps forming a smaller girth of the sleeve than the configuration of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 shows a closure flap at the distal end of the sleeve in a first position.

FIG. 7 shows the closure flap with the sleeve in an additional position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows elements of the sleeve for compression shorts constructed and arranged for receiving a penis 10 within the sleeve. The sleeve 2, has an elongated and generally cylindrical portion. This sleeve is characterized as being generally cylindrical for this description, although the sleeve will typically be fabricated from a textile material that does not have rigidity. Since the sleeve is formed of a textile material, and the textile material is not rigid, the shape will not form an exact cylindrical shape unless the sleeve is supported so as to be held in a cylindrical position. By “generally cylindrical” is meant a tube like structure which may or may not have a circular cross section, but is formed as a sleeve having an opening, such as a sleeve of a garment, like a shirt. The textile material forming the sleeve is not a compression material like the compression material of the body of compression shorts 4.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the sleeve 2 has an opening 12 at a distal end 14. There is also an opening 16 at the proximal end 18 where the shorts connect to the sleeve. The compression shorts 4 have a corresponding opening that aligns with the opening in the proximal end of the sleeve so that the penis of the wearer can be inserted through the opening of the compression shorts and into the sleeve.

The girth of the sleeve 2 is adjustable. In the embodiment shown in the drawing figures, the girth is adjusted by a flap or flaps, such as the pair of flaps 20,22. Each flap has hook and loop material 24, and the sleeve has an area 26 of corresponding hook and loop material to allow the flaps to be pulled against the sleeve and connected to the sleeve by the hook and loop material. Connecting devices other than hook and loop material may be used to pull against the sleeve to reduce the girth of the sleeve.

A closure flap 6 is present on the distal end 12 of the sleeve 2. The closure flap allows covering and uncovering the opening in the distal end of the sleeve. Hook and loop material 28 that is present on the closure flap connects to corresponding hook and loop material that is present on the sleeve, or to hook and loop material that is present on an outside of the flaps 20,22 when the flaps are connected to the sleeve.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the sleeve 2 is connected at a proximal end 18 of the sleeve to the compression shorts 4. Elastic material 8 is used to connect the sleeve to the shorts. The elastic material allows limited movement of the sleeve relative to the shorts, and also allows for some outward stretching of the sleeve during active wear. The sleeve is attached to the shorts in the crotch area of the compression shorts and in an appropriate location to allow insertion of the penis into the sleeve. As shown in FIG. 2 , the flaps 20,22 adjust the girth of the sleeve to the desired size, and the closure flap covers the distal end of the sleeve.

FIG. 3 shows the sleeve 2 in a different position from the position of the sleeve shown in FIG. 2 . The elastic 8 engagement of the sleeve and the compression shorts allow the sleeve to be moved from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3 . A position of the sleeve similar to the position shown in FIG. 2 may be desirable to the wearer during activities or exercise, whereas the position of the sleeve in FIG. 3 may be more appropriate when the wearer is urinating. The closure flap 6 is released from the distal opening in the sleeve so that the distal opening is not covered during urination without the necessity of removing the shorts. The elastic engagement of the shorts with the sleeve facilitates movement of the sleeve to various positions.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 demonstrate girth adjustment of the sleeve 2. In FIG. 4 , the flaps have been moved to a position to connect the flaps 20,22 to the sleeve by the hook and loop material. As can been seen, the girth of the sleeve in FIG. 4 is expanded as compared to the girth of the sleeve in FIG. 5 . In FIG. 5 , the flaps are moved more closely to each other, thereby reducing the girth of the sleeve. The girth of the sleeve could be reduced by connecting devices other than hook and loop material. For example, snaps or laces, similar to shoelaces, may be used for holding the flaps in the desired position. In the case of snaps, a series of snaps may be positioned for girth adjustment, and in the case of laces, the laces may be pulled as tightly as desired so as to enlarge or reduce the girth of the sleeve.

FIG. 6 demonstrates use of the closure flap 6 in selectively covering the distal opening 12 in the sleeve 2. In FIG. 6 , the closure flap is positioned so that it partially covers the distal opening in the sleeve. It is desired that the closure flap is of sufficient length so that the useful length of the sleeve can be adjusted. Pulling the closure flap closer to the proximal end 14 of the sleeve reduces the length of the sleeve. The closure flap therefore not only permits selective opening or closing of the opening at the distal end of the sleeve, but is also used to adjust the useful length of the device.

In use, the device is initially positioned as shown in FIG. 1 . The wearer places the compression shorts 4 on his body, while inserting the penis into the sleeve 2. After the penis is positioned in the sleeve, the flaps 20,22 are used to adjust the girth of the device by positioning the flaps as demonstrated by FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 . The wearer then positions the closure flap 6 to form the desired length of the sleeve and/or to cover the distal opening 12 in the sleeve. The configuration shown FIG. 6 or FIG. 7 is maintained while the shorts are worn, unless the wearer desires to position the closure flap as shown in FIG. 1 to provide an opening at the end of the sleeve. The compression shorts may be removed from the wearer's body by reversing the process by which the compression shorts were donned by the wearer. 

What is claimed:
 1. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material, comprising: a sleeve comprising an opening at a distal end of the sleeve, the sleeve being fixed to the shorts by an elastic engagement of the shorts with the sleeve at a proximal end of the sleeve, the sleeve comprising a flap that is joined to the sleeve along a length of the sleeve and at a first end of the flap, a second end of the flap comprising a connector, wherein the girth of the sleeve is reduced by positioning and connecting the second end of the flap to the sleeve, and wherein the distal end of the sleeve comprises a closure flap joined at a first end to the sleeve, and the closure flap comprises a connector and the closure flap covers the opening at the distal end of the sleeve when the closure flap is connected by the connector to the sleeve.
 2. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 1, wherein the shorts comprise an opening in a crotch area of the shorts, and the sleeve comprises an opening in a proximal end of the sleeve that communicates with the opening in the crotch area of the shorts.
 3. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 1, wherein the shorts comprise an opening in a crotch area of the shorts, and the sleeve has an opening in a proximal end of the sleeve that communicates with the opening in the crotch area of the shorts, and wherein the elastic engagement of the shorts with the sleeve is formed by elastic material that connects the sleeve to the shorts.
 4. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 1, wherein the distal end of the sleeve comprises a closure flap joined at a first end to the sleeve, and the closure flap comprises a connector and the closure flap covers the opening at the distal end of the sleeve when the closure flap is connected by the connector to the sleeve.
 5. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 1, the sleeve having a second flap that is joined to the sleeve along a length of the sleeve and at a first end of the second flap and the first end of the second flap is spaced apart from the first end of the flap, a second end of the second flap comprising a connector, wherein the girth of the sleeve is reduced by positioning and connecting the second end of the second flap to the sleeve.
 6. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 1, wherein the sleeve is formed of a textile material.
 7. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 1, wherein the connector of the second end of the flap connects to the sleeve by hook and loop material.
 8. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 5, wherein the connector of the second end of the second flap connects to the sleeve by hook and loop material.
 9. Shorts formed of an elastic compression material as described in claim 4, wherein the connector of the closure flap connects to the sleeve by hook and loop material. 